Naval Ships
In the alternate worlds of Muv-Luv Unlimited/Alternative, Tactical Surface Fighters are only the tip of the spear of humanity's fighting force, with support vehicles and craft agumenting the deadliness of TSFs on the field either directly or indirectly. Naval craft provide an important aspect of warfare against the BETA, ranging from transporting TSFs into the thick of the fray to providing cover support and even refueling and rearming TSFs within the span of a few minutes. As they are seldom expected to fight head-on against BETA, most warships are focused on bringing their firepower to bear as accurately and as quickly as possible, while assault ships are built to quickly land forces and provide able backup and tactical control. Support Ships American Support Ships *LCAC-1 *: A hovercraft type used by both the UN, IJMDF, and USN forces, the LCAC-1 (Landing Craft Air Cushion-1) is a versatile amphibious craft that allows rapid transport of infantry, small-scale weapons systems, logistic needs, and other essentials from ship to land, or in the case of evacuation, from shore to sea. However, their small size means that these craft are not intended to engage in direct combat against BETA. *''Sacramento''-class Support Ship : Ships of the line: USS Seattle :: An older class of support ships. *''Gopher State''-class Support Ship : Ships of the line: - :: A large support ship, the Gopher State-class handles the majority of transport, resupplying, freight, and other logistic needs in a fleet. One such ship was deployed with the John F. Kennedy ''battlegroup that was en route to Hawaii after Operation Babylon. Assault Ships Assault Ships are similar to infantry-use lander ships, instead carrying TSFs that are launched towards their targets on land. Unlike TSF Carriers, Assault Ships are not intended to support large groups of TSFs and any related seaborne operations; they carry TSFs towards a target on land via a nearby sea route to prevent pilot fatigue, fuel wastage and exposure to Laser-class, and once close enough deploy their combat load and continue support operations from there. Japanese Assault Ships *''Osumi-class Assault Ship : Ships of the line: IJMDF Osumi, IJMDF Takao, IJMDF Kunisaki, IJMDF Shimokita :: A marked departure from usual assault ships, the Osumi-class stores its load of TSFs within its frame, ready to launch them on a moment's notice. The ships are usually used to place TSFs close to shore during a sea assault, and can retrieve its TSFs the same way for basic maintainence, refueling, and rearming. However, the Osumi-class lacks the armor and protection of battleships, making it imperative that they deploy in an area that's free from enemy interference or risk getting sunk. The Imperial Navy has hopes of mass-producing this class of ships, but production is still underway and the number of completed ships have not yet reached acceptable levels as of 2001. :: Osumi, Takao ''and ''Kunisaki ''were present at the second Battle of Sadogashima, while ''Shimokita ''later participated in Operation Sledgehammer. American Assault Ships *''Wasp-class Amphibious Assault Ship : Ships of the line: USS Boxer :: Wasp-class amphibious assault ships are capable of high-intensity support of local forces during operations against land targets as well as mass transportation of loads. Several were deployed to Japan after Operation Babylon to rescue Japanese refugees. *''Iwo Jima''-class Amphibious Assault Ship : Ships of the line: - :: A modification of a World War II design, the Iwo Jima-class assault ship is a long-serving ship class of the USN. One is currently deployed to the naval regions of the Seattle Defence Line as an early-warning patrol ship. Soviet Assault Ships *''Ivan Rogov''-class Tank Landing/Amphibious Assault Ship : Ships of the line: Ivan Rogov, Aleksandr Nikolayev, Mitrofan Moskalenko :: An amphibious assault ship capable of functioning both as a floating dock/shallow-water lander and also outfitted for beach landings. Despite its operations bringing it into close proximity of BETA forces, the ships lack the armor and anti-laser coating expected of such engagements. :: Mitrofan Moskalenko ''ferried Argos Flight to Kamchatka during Project PROMINENCE's tenure there. Submarines Submarines take on a radically different role in the Unlimited/Alternative timeline, with their firepower more focused on launching bombardment attacks from the relative safety of underwater towards surface targets. American and Japanese submarines are also configured as tender craft to carry the A-6 Intruder for use in establishing beacheads during high-intensity operations. Japanese Submarines *''Takashi-class/Type-81 Submarine Tender : Submarines of the line: IJMDF Takashi :: A liscenced production of the Skate-class, the Type-81 submarine tender is a submarine type of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Mounting an A-6J on its bow, the Type-81's main purpose is to launch it while approaching shore, and to aid it in the establishment of a land-based staging point via VLS-launched missiles. American Submarines *''Skate''-class Submarine Tender : Submarines of the line: - :: The first submarine tender, the Skate-class can mount one A-6 Intruder on its bow. *''Los Angeles''-class Submarine Tender : Submarines of the line: - :: A submarine class with improved uptime. Soviet Submarines *''Akula''-class Submarine : Submarines of the line: - :: Soviet-production nuclear submarine, it is also identified by its NATO codename, the Typhoon-class. Before the BETA invasion, these submarines were an unwelcome reminder of Soviet naval power; now, they serve an important role ferrying supplies to the Mediterranean and providing armed support. Warships Warships range from old battleships to modern frigates; however, all are capable of bringing heavy firepower to bear against the BETA. From the impressive fusillades of the Yamato-class battleships to the advanced missile systems of the Ticonderoga-class destroyer, warships are intended to reduce the area they target into a smoking plain, either to clear the area for troops to land and prepare to face the next relentless wave of BETA without interruption, or to cover a desperate retreat by beleaguered allies. Japanese Warships *Gunboat :: A large tanker ship modified to carry numerous MRLS. At least one was present at the Battle of Sadogashima. *''Yamagumo''-class Destroyer : Ships of the line: - :: A light destroyer, the Yamagumo-class is a relatively new addition to the Imperial Navy. One such vessel was part of the interception fleet at the BETA invasion of Niigata in 2001. *''Mogami''-class Cruiser :: Ships of the line: IJMDF Mogami, IJMDF Mikuma :: The Mogami-class cruisers are highly-modernized versions of the original World War II design, bearing the original armament of three triple-barreled 12-inch gun turrets in addition to a multitude of various smaller guns. Despite their firepower coupled with their maneuverability, the ships are better suited as mobile naval command centres, with excellent data link and information processing capabilities. Mogami was deployed during ths second Battle of Sadogashima as a flagship. *''Nagato''-class Battleship :: Mainline World War II-era battleship; most of them were mothballed or confiscated by the Allies following Imperial Japan's surrender. For its time, it was the WWII equivalent of the current Yamato-class. *''Yamato''-class Battleship : Ships of the line: IJMDF Yamato, IJMDF Musashi, IJMDF Shinano, IJMDF Mino :: The famed battleship class of Imperial Japan during World War II, the BETA advance saw the ships brought out of retirement and back into active service to serve the nation. The current Yamato-class has gone through extensive refitting; its external apperance, gun systems and armor have been overhauled, improved and replaced, with an added satellite data link for improved fire control, close-in laser defences launched by VLS, and anti-laser coating on its hull. :: The Yamato-class would participate in numerous battles when the BETA reached Japan, and were present when the island of Sadogashima was lost to the BETA advance. Their next notable operation would be at the second Battle of Sadogashima, providing valuable artillery support to the TSF forces on the island. :: All ships seen so far have various cosmetic differences as befitting of retrofits of older ship classes. What is known for now is that Yamato ''can be identified by its rotating dual-side radar masts and a flattened top for the tip of its bridge section, while ''Shinano ''has two radar pods on top of its main bridge, an additional mast section, and a pattern of shallow holes in its bow armor. *''Yamato Kai-class Battleship : Ships of the line: IJMDF Izumo, IJMDF Kaga :: A derivative of the Yamato-class battleship, the Yamato Kai-class is a variant of the original with its stern gun turret removed for a flight deck and hangar. Like the Yamato-class, the Yamato Kai-class is a World War II-era design and also recieved external upgrades, laser-proofing, improved fire control, and VLS systems to bring it to modern standards. Notable deployments include the Izumo, which used its powerful guns to provide support fire during the Defence of Kyoto and later during the defence of Yokohama in 2001. Kaga ''was part of the second naval battlegroup during the second Battle of Sadogashima. * ''Kii-class Battleship : Ships of the line: IJMDF Kii, IJMDF Owari :: First designed in 1941, the first Kii-class battleship was abandoned after the surrender of Imperial Japan and later completed in 1949 with the aid of the Allies, which saw the need for Japan to build up its military force in the face of a looming Soviet threat in the Far East. Its reconstruction with the aid of American technolgy saw the Kii-class shift significantly from its original role; changes were made to the core design due to expectations that ship-to-ship combat would slowly increase in range until the Kii-class' original complement of cannons would not be able to deal much damage accurately; an example is the reduction in armor volume to 18 inches in the final product. :: The Kii-class was envisioned to carry a multitude of artillery guns as a true successor of the Yamato-class; it originally carried four 20-inch triple-barrled gun turrets, four dual-barreled 6-inch gun turrets, twelve dual-barreled 5-inch gun turrets and up to twenty-four 40mm autocannons. While impressive, only two ships were constructed and served as the flagship of the Imperial Navy in shifts until their retirement in the 1960s as part of a global disarmament plan. The Kii-class would have ended up as a display piece if not for the BETA invasion, which saw the ships being brought back into active service in 1973. :: Over the years, upgrades have been applied to both ships; the 5-inch guns have been replaced with eight OTT62 76mm cannons and the autocannons with six Phalnax 20mm CIWS systems and two groups of RAM launchers. Its deployment to the Indian Ocean in 1992 saw the Kii-class outfitted with anti-laser coating and a Mk. 41 128-shot VLS, further boosting its capabilities when it returned to active duty in 1995. The immense firepower and all-rounded capabilities of the Kii-class are intended to parallel the unbuilt A-150 class of warships in the real world. :: Both Kii and Owari participated in numerous operations in the defence of Japan during the 1998 BETA invasion; Owari ''acted as the flagship of the Second Fleet, then stationed at Lake Biwa providing fire support. Both ships also served as part of the support fleet during the defence of Yokohama Base providing ground command. American Warships *''Oliver Hazard Perry-class Frigate : Ships of the line: USS Vandegrift :: A ship intended for multiple battlefield roles, the Oliver Hazard Perry-class is a frigate designed to support both naval and landing operations. One such ship, the Vandegrift, was sunk during the massive gravitational anomaly that swept the John F. Kennedy ''and its escort vessels off-course. *''Ticonderoga-class Missile Cruiser : Ships of the line: USS Gettysburg :: The Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser is a naval warship of the USN. A marked departure from the typical battleship, its main armaments are missiles launched by VLS, allowing it to fire powerful guided cluster munitions against BETA hordes. *Zumwalt-class destroyer : Ships of the line: - :: A relatively modern warship, the Zumwalt-class is a high-speed assault destroyer. *''Iowa''-class Battleship : Ships of the line: USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, USS Missouri, USS Wisconsin, USS Illinois, USS Kentucky '' :: The ''Iowa-class battleships are a class of high-speed battleships operating since the World War II-era. All six are in use with the USN as of 2001 despite their age. *''Montana''-class Battleship : Ships of the line: USS Montana, USS Ohio, USS Maine, USS New Hampshire, USS Louisiana :: A new class of battleships intended as a replacement for the Iowa-class, the Montana-class was designed as part of a new set of tactics to form the core of a strike group alongside American carriers. One such strike group was centered around the Mediterranean area, intended for offshore support of European war efforts against the BETA. Soviet Warships *''Sovetsky Soyuz''-class Battleship : Ships of the line:'' Sovetsky Soyuz, Sovetskaya Ukraina', '''Sovetskaya Rossiya, Sovetskaya Belorussiya '' :: A World War II-era battleship design, the ''Sovetsky Soyuz-class was completed sometime in-between the end of the war and the BETA invasion of Earth, and now serve as Soviet fleetborne artillery. With firepower rivaling that of the Yamato-class, these ships can lay waste to immense numbers of BETA in a single salvo. :: Sovetskaya Rossiya ''is currently deployed to the Kamchatka Peninsula to provide firepower support. Australian Warships *''Hobart-class Destroyer : Ships of the line: HMAS Sydney :: A modern destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy, the Hobart-class is capable of dishing out incredible amounts of firepower with its VLS and naval cannon. One ship, the Sydney, was a UN liaison accompanying the John F. Kennedy ''on its mission against the Cheorwon Hive. TSF Carriers TSF carriers are essentially the counterpart to aircraft carriers, boasting ample facilities to launch, recover, rearm, refuel and service other TSFs in various operations. Carriers act as force projection multipliers and are typically capable of long periods of time away from bases; they are important in providing a temporary mobile base from which TSFs can be kept for a period of time, before launching them towards their objective(s). This is a world of difference from amphibious assault craft, which are smaller in scale and intended to quickly deploy land forces ''en masse for a lightning attack against a land-based objective. Japanese Carriers *''Miura''-class Carrier : Ships of the line: - :: A mention of a Miura-class is made, but no official information is known as of now. American Carriers *''Enterprise''-class Carrier : Ships of the line: CVN-65 USS Enterprise, CVN-66 USS America, CVN-67 USS John F. Kennedy :: The predecessor class of the Nimitz-class supercarrier, the Enterprise-class was the US' first nuclear-powered carrier class. Originally built to launch planes, the onset of war against the BETA saw the carriers being retrofitted to launch TSFs instead. The Enterprise-class carriers are involved in long-term patrol missions; Enterprise and'' America'' constantly keep watch over the Mediterranean and England area, while John F. Kennedy, together with George Washington, were stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan as part of the assault force against the Cheorwon Hive during Operation Babylon in the Unlimited timeline. :: The John F. Kennedy had a crew complement of 3000, inclusive of 800 crew to pilot and service its TSFs, could carry up to 18 TSFs and 8 SH-60 helicopters, and was armed with four Phalnax 20mm CIWS guns. During the Battle of JFK, it carried only three F-18Es of the USMC Black Knives squadron and nine F-18Fs of the US Navy. :: A point of interest is the replacement of the Kitty Hawk-class by the Enterprise-class as the ship type of the America and the John F. Kennedy. It is unknown for what reasons these two ships were built as Enterprise-class carriers instead of upgraded Kitty Hawk-class carriers. *Nimitz-class Carrier : Ships of the line: CVN-68 USS'' Nimitz'', CVN-69 USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson, CVN-71 USS Theodore Roosevelt, CVN-72 USS Abraham Lincon, CVN-73 USS George Washington, CVN-74 USS John C. Stennis, CVN-75 USS Harry S. Trunman :: The supercarrier of the US Navy, the Nimitz-class was the first TSF naval carrier; its massive decks could support up to 40 TSFs, an as-of-yet unmatched number of TSFs a carrier can carry. The Nimitz-class was involved in a great many operations across the globe; Theodore Roosevelt supported Japanese forces during the Defence of Kyoto, and Nimitz provided support to allied forces during Operation Sledgehammer, to name a few. :: The first ship, Nimitz, was partially built when it was decided to integrate TSFs into the US' naval strike groups and had to receive upgrades to allow it to launch TSFs, specifically F-11s and F-14s, instead of conventional planes. Later Nimitz-class carriers were built from the ground-up to support TSFs. European Carriers *''Queen Elizabeth''-class Carrier :: Ships of the line: HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Duke of Edinburg, HMS Prince of Wales, HMS Ark Royal :: The Queen Elizabeth-class is the realization of the CVA-01 type of carrier ships that the United Kingdom constructed during the post-World War II period. When the BETA invaded Earth; the carriers were quickly converted to carry TSFs, and the four ships remain in service up till today. Because of their small size in comparison to later carriers like the Nimitz-class, the Queen Elizabeth-class can only carry up to six TSFs. :: The Prince of Wales and Ark Royal were deployed to carry the TSFs of the Rain Dancers squadron during the testing of the ESFP. *''Invincible''-class Carrier : Ships of the line: HMS Invincible : The Invincible-class was an existing carrier type that saw conversion into a TSF carrier on the onset of the BETA invasion of Earth. As a former light aircraft carrier, its carrying capacity is even smaller than the Queen Elizabeth class. : Invincible was deployed with the Rain Dancers squadron as the carrier of their helicopter attack group. Gallery 12345u.jpg|A fleet of Yamato-class battleships. 29215BB6.png|IJMDF Mikuma leaving port. Bow chika pow wow.png|A 20mm Phalnax CIWS turret, commonly found on modern warships. Get down.png|A Mogami-class cruiser returns fire. Gyabuuun.png|A light cannon system carried by modern warships; usually found on frigates and destroyers. Heaven or hell lets rock.png|A Hobart-class destroyer faces off against a Fort-class BETA. 0995FCE8.png|A Hobart-class destroyer is destoyed by a Fort-class BETA. Itano was here, kawamori is a loser.png|VLS of various warships and submarines at work launching missiles. Planes a shit.png|A tanker ship repurposed with multiple MLRS systems. Sad whale.png|A stranded Osumi-class assault ship. Sea drifting.png|Aerial view of a battleship fleet. Shit hit the fan real hard.png|''Osumi''-class ships launching their TSFs. Shooting gallery.png|Assault ships under fire from shore-based Laser-class BETA. The first shot.png|IJMDF Mogami takes the opening shot. The return of get down.png|A Mogami-class cruiser returns fire. We're gonna die.png|Launch deck of an Osumi-class ship. type-81 rubber ducky.jpg|Schematic of a Type-81 Submarine without its A-6J and extra locking pieces. a classy ship for classy people.png|Briefing room of the John F. Kennedy. Owari and random ship that should have been the roosevelt.jpg|The Owari and another carrier stationed in Lake Biwa, as depicted in the Total Eclipse anime. Chou-yamato.png|A Kii-class can be see in the background. Category:The Day After Category:The Euro Front Category:Alternative Category:Unlimited Category:Hardware and Technology Category:Total Eclipse